Opportunities:  Undergraduates begin by working closely with a postdoc, graduate student, or research associate to develop expertise in specialized laboratory techniques and familiarity with a particular field of study. Most students then develop independent projects that form the basis for a full-time summer project and, in many cases, a senior thesis or B.S./M.S. research. Through participation in research and in weekly laboratory meetings, students acquire training in thinking about, carrying out, and communicating scientific discoveries. Undergrads have  coauthored many of the research papers from the lab and typically move on to highly competitive training programs for a Ph.D., M.D., or related professional degree.
Qualifications: The ideal applicant has  a GPA of 3.3 or higher in their basic coursework. Preference is given to students who have worked in a laboratory or have taken a lab course, such as Biochemical Techniques (BIBC 103) or Recombinant DNA Techniques (BIMM 101). Applicants should also have taken one or more upper level classes, such as Genetics (BICD 100), Molecular Biology (BIMM 100), Molecular Sequence Analysis (BIMM 181), Physical Biochemistry (BIBC 110).